Double top boiler check and stop valve



DOUBLE TOP BOILER CHECK AND STOP VALVE Filed Dec. 18, 1929 2 Sheets$heet l i I mammal! I a 7 g 63' j H 3" A z 55 V J6 J gww/wtom Aug. 15, Q ALLEN DOUBLE TOP BOILER CHECK AND STOP VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 18, 1929 Patented Aug. 15, 1933 UNITED STATES DOUBLE TOP BOILER CHECK AND s'ror VALVE Charles B. Allen, Wadsworth, Ohio, assignor to The Ohio Injector Company, Wadsworth, Ohio,

a Corporation of Ohio Application December 18, 1929 Serial N0. 414,994

2 Claims.

The object of this invention is toprovide a double top boiler check and stop valve mechanism, whereby are provided an inlet into the boiler and connections for the injector on one side of the boiler and the pump on the other side; each of the check valves being provided with a stop valve arranged between the inlet to the boiler and the check valve for use in case of an emergency and being always open excepting when the check valve sticks or otherwise fails to function.

The invention consists of a unitary construction in which are included two check valves, two stop valves and an inlet to the boiler common to all, as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure l is a side elevation, broken away at the point of connection with the boiler. Fig. 2 is a top plan view with the body casing broken away to show the stop valves and the immediately adjacent parts. Fig. 3 is an end elevation looking at the pump end. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section showing one form of check valve. Fig. 5 is a similar view of portions of another construction of check valve.

In order to further a clear description of this invention, it is noted that until a fewyears ago, practically all locomotives obtained their water supply through injectors, it being the usual practice to install two injectors, one on each side of the locomotive. From each injector, there was a delivery line carryingthe water from the injector to a main boiler check valve at the forward side of the locomotive, which valve served to prevent back flow when the injector was not in service.

There has been a growing tendency of late years to use a portion of the exhaust steam for heating the feed water, and then to pump it into the boiler by the use of a centrifugal or direct acting piston pump, this pump being placed on one side of the locomotive, andv one injector retained on the other side.

It has been found advantageous to abandon the two check valves, one on each side of the locomotive, and in their place to use a double check valve on the top of the locomotive.

The present invention comprises an improved construction of the top double check valve, or, as it is more commonly known, the double check.

In carrying out this invention, the body is made as a single casting, in which there is a part 1 for use in applying the device to the top of the boiler, 2 indicating portion of theboiler, and 3 indicating conventionally the connection. At

the top of the part 1 the casting is extended laterally to form two valve chambers 4 and 5, and from each of these chambers extends a tubular portion 6 and '7 respectively. The outer end of each tubular portion is provided with a check valve casing 8 and 9 respectively. To the lower portion of part 8 is connected a coupling membei l9 and to the lower portion of part 9 is connected the coupling member 11.

The part 19 may form a portion of the connection of the device with the injector, while the part 11 may form a portion of the connection of the device with the pump. The part 10 may be connected with the part 8 by means of bolts 12 engaging lugs or projections on the respective parts, while, for purposes presently appearing, the part 11 may be connected with the part 9 by means of six bolts 13, which engage projections on the respective parts.

Within the chambers 4 and 5 are arranged the stop valves 14 and 15, the former arranged to seat in the part 6 and the latter in the part 7; the said stop valves therefore being oppositely arranged in the casing. These stop valves are shown as swivel valves having stems or spindles j- 16 and 17, respectively, which are accessible on the outside of the casing for opening and closing the valves by hand or otherwise.

Within the portion 8 is mounted a check valve of any usual or approved form, the seat member of which is securely held by a flange 20 between the parts 8 and 10. The upward movement of the check valve is limited in the usual manner by a projection (not shown) extending from the screw plug cap 22 which is threaded in a top opening of the part 8.

By removal of the screw plug cap 22 the check valve and its seat are made accessible.

In the portion 9 is located the check valve 24 (see Figs. 4 and 5) seated on the seat 25 under the pressure of a coiled spring 26 mountedin a tubular stop extension 27 which forms a part of the cap or plug 28 screwed into the threaded opening 29 in the top of the part 9.

With certain types of pumps whereby fluid pulsations are set up,the check valve is subjected to extremely severe service since the check valve opens and closes with each stroke of the pump and is thus subjected to a continuous series of blows between the check and its seat. This necessitates the use of a very hard and tough material such as Monel metal, for the seat. It has been proposed to secure the seat by screwthreaded joints, but this failed on account of the fact that the continuous blows from the check would always loosen the joint, thus allowing leakage and a consequent cutting out of the metal. It was also proposed to hold the seat in place by making it in the form of a plain cylindrical member having an external laterally extending flange 38 as shown in Fig. 5, with this flange clamped between the two portions of the body similar to the arrangement of the injector check shown at 20 and this construction has been employed on the pump check, but not with entire satisfaction, since leaks would occur at the joint between the seat flange and the body. In prior constructions, a joint of this sort was made by bolting the parts with four bolts, as indicated at 12 in connection with the injector check, but in the present invention, six bolts 13 are used and thereby a tight joint is made and held, these six bolts extending through projections 30 on the part 11.

Heretofore, where the bolted construction has been used, there has been no cap provided in the top of the valve chamber to give access to the check from above, so that one point of leakage might be avoided, and where this construction has been used, it has been found practically impossible to regrind the check valve and its seat without taking the locomotive into the shop. I have solved this difficulty by the provision of a special arrangement of cap or plug above the valve which cap or plug is removable anywhere, so'that access can be had to the check and the check seat for'regrinding or other attention.

As has been indicated, it was found that a cap secured in the body above the check by screwthreads alone was not satisfactory, since the cap could not be held tight owing to the continued hammering from the check tending to loosen the screwthreaded connection and causing leakage .between the cap and body. V

In the present invention my special arrangement of cap or plug includes a substantially rec tangular cap plate 31 adapted to receive the four bolts 32 rising from the projection 33 on the 45 body and nutted above the cap plate. This cap plate is bored out at 34 to receive and center with the turned cylindrical boss 35 on the top of the cap or plug 28. Thus is provided a combined bolted and screwthreaded joint between the cap or plug 28 and the body, and this arrangementhasproven to be absolutely effective in preventing leakage at this point, and at the same time permits easy access to the check and seat from above for grinding and the like. By thus providing for inspection, grinding and the like of the pump check from above, it is possible to mount the whole check and stop valve unit closer to the boiler, with attendant advantages, it being'unnecessary to remove the member 11.

It is noted that this bolted cap plate 31 not only adds to the screwthreaded connection 29 the strength of the clamping effect of the bolts 32 to resist the hammering action of the check but also acts as a lock to prevent the accidental unscrewing of the cap or plug from the body.

Although the type of joint .shown in Fig. 5 is.

preferred when six bolts 13 are used, the joint between the seat and body may be strengthened, if desired, by screwthreading the upper portion of the seat and theadjacent portion of the body,

screwthreaded and bolted joint for the seat on only one side of the flange 38,the other side being a plain bolted joint in efiect. Its use, however, would give double strength to one portion of the seating surface and thus be valuable to that extent.

Another valuable feature of the invention is the arrangement of the stop and check valves with reference to one another and to the main body of the device. Each step valve is directly in line with the corresponding check valve, and the two check valves and stop valves are arranged in' parallelism in substantially the same horizontal plane with the stems or spindles of the stop valves pointing in opposite directions and thus easily accessible.

The advantages of this arrangement are that the casting of the body is simplified and more easily handled in the foundry; the passages through whi h the water must fiow are more direct and have fewer turns than customary in prior devices, and the entire construction of the device can be made lower and therefore afford a shorter lever arm with respect. to the joint between the flange and the body. This advantage will be appreciated when it is remembered that the force exerted on this lever arm extends through from eighteen to twenty-five feet of pipe connections with each check, these lengths of pipe being subjected to vibration and expansion and contraction due to the varying temperatures to which they are exposed.

I wish to emphasize, among other features of my invention, that the center lines of the two sets of stop and check valves are crosswise of the center line ofthe boiler; that they are horizontal; that the center line of each stop valve coincides with the center line of its check valve; that the center lines of the two sets of stop and check valves do not coincide but are parallel, and that the stems or spindles of the two stop valves point in opposite directions, thus enabling me to obtain the above-mentioned advantages. I

It is also to be noted, as hereinbefore pointed out, that by providing for grinding of the pump check, as well as the injector check, from above it is possible to mount the whole assembly closer to the boiler for the reason that the members 10 and 11 do not have to be removed in order to reach these checks, and that inspection, grinding and other operations to be performed upon these checks may be performed anywhere and do not necessitate sending the locomotive to the shop.

Variations in the construction are permissible within the principle of the invention and the claims following.

What I clairnist- 1. A. double top boiler check and stop valve mechanism, comprising a body casting adapted to be connected with the top of a boiler and hav- 1 2. A double top boiler check and stop valve mechanism, comprising a body casting adapted valve chambers, one of the check valves having a seat provided with a laterally extending flange adapted to form a joint between the body and a pipe connection leading therefrom, said seat also having a screwthreaded connection with the body, a cap closing the check valve chamber and a cap plate bolted to the body.

CHARLES B. ALLENV 

